Monthly Archives: August 2011

It’s time for another Top Ten List! This weekly meme is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. This week’s list spotlights the books on my Fall To Be Read List. I have been thinking about this list all week. In fact, I did a draft over the weekend that included 16 titles. Alas, this is not Top Sixteen Tuesday. If I limit myself to books released only between the Autumnal Equinox (Sept. 22) and the Winter Solstice (Dec. 21) I whittle my list down to twelve. I am sticking with that! In order of their publication dates, here is my T.T(welve).T. TBR books:

Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz Book 6 in the Blue Bloods series September 27

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins September 29

The Mark of the Golden Dragon by L. A. Meyer Book 9 in the Bloody Jack series October 3

The Son of Neptune by Rick RiordanBook 2 in The Lost Heroes series October 4

Silence by Becca FitzpatrickBook 3 in the Fallen Angels series October 4

Frost by Wendy DelsolSequel to Stork October 11

Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret StohlsBook 3 in the Caster Chronicles series October 18

Crossed by Ally CondieSequel to Matched November 1

I am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan BradleyBook 4 in the Flavia De Luce series November 1

Prized by Caragh O’BrienSequel to Birthmarked November 8

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler Nov. 21

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra ClareBook 2 in the Infernal Devices series December 6

Are you wondering what got cut from my list?

Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson August 30 (sequel to The Adoration of Jenna Fox)

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake August 30

All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin September 6 (A new dystopian trilogy from the author of Elsewhere and Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac)

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson September 20 (A supernatural, Victorian-era, Jack the Ripper mystery. OMG!)

While I wait I am going to start Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry. It’s been a while since I have read a zombie book.

Hi Everyone! How was your weekend? I know a lot of people were worrying about Hurricane Irene, but here in Cleveland we did not have to endure any extreme forces of nature. In fact, it was quite a pleasant weekend. When I was not working or driving around for the sole purpose of listening to The Help by Kathryn Stockett on cd, I was immersed in two very different interpretations of the great and timeless Sherlock Holmes.

I began the weekend reading Eye of the Crow by Shane Peacock. In this first book in a series readers are introduced to a thirteen-year-old Sherlock Holmes. Young Holmes is the son of a Jewish scholar and a wealthy upper-class woman. Disowned and shunned for their mixed marriage, the Holmes’ live in poverty. Sherlock is intelligent, observant, and bored out of his mind at school. His truancy habit leads him to his first case-the murder of an unknown woman in a disreputable London neighborhood. Authorities quickly apprehend a suspect, a young Arab man who declares his innocence. Unable to resist involvement, Sherlock begins searching for clues to support the man’s claim. Readers familiar with the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle will recognize the Baker Street Irregulars, Inspector Lestrade, and even Irene (though she is Irene Doyle, not Adler). I am about half way through the story and enjoying it very much. I will definitely continue with more of the series.

I also spent the weekend enjoying a modern version of Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, brings the consulting detective and his assistant/friend/flatmate Watson into 21st century London. This modern Sherlock is an odd, emotionally detached, and slightly anti-social character. I am quite amused by this. In fact, this character reminded me of one of my favorite characters-Dr. Gregory House. I would love to see those two characters work together! Holmes still carries a magnifying glass, and relies on intuition and the power of deductive reasoning, but he also carries a cell phone, texts, and using GPS. Dr. Watson, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, recounts their adventures on his blog. I can’t wait for the second season, airing sometime in 2012. The second season is going to include The Hound of the Baskerville. I’ll bet that episode is going to be awesome and creepy.

Still want more Holmes? Try these graphic adaptations:

These graphic novels are illustrated by Ian Culbard and adapted by Ian Edington.

How about a different take on a young Sherlock Holmes?

According to the book jacket, Death Cloud by Andrew Lane is the “first teen series endorsed by the Conan Doyle Estate.” I am interested to see how the two young Sherlocks compare.

It’s time to vote for the YALSA’s Teen Top Ten Award. The polls are open until September 16th and the winners will be announced during Teen Read Week, October 16-22. There are 25 nominees and you can vote for three.

That’s quite a list. And it’s a cruel, cruel world that only allows you to pick 3! Since I am too old to officially vote I don’t feel bound by the rules. I haven’t read all of the books on the list, but I picked my favorite 9 from the ones I have (the purple ones would get my vote). Have you read all the nominees? Which titles have your vote?

I know it’s Wednesday, but I just love creating a Top Ten list that I figured better late than never. This fun meme is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s list in ten books that I loved but did not review. It’s going to be hard to whittle the list to just ten!

1. The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan. I LOVED these zombie apocalypse books, I have met the genius behind the books, I recommend them to everyone, and yet…no written reviews. Lame. P.S. The last book was my favorite.

2. White Cat and Red Glove by Holly Black. I love the alternate reality, the Curse Workers, and the male POV. I can’t wait for Black Heart-maybe I will work on reviews in the meantime!

3. Heist Society and Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter. Actually, let’s be honest here. I talk about Ally Carter, The Gallagher Girls, and Cammie ALL THE TIME. One of these books has been on just about every TTT list I have made. Any actual reviews out there by me? Nope.

4. Paranormalcy and Supernaturally by Kiersten White. These books are like getting a great big hug. I want everyone to get hugged by these books. I talk about them all the time and I know Evie/Tasey/Kiersten have been included in Top Ten lists. I hang my head in shame that I have not written actual reviews. *Sigh*

5. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. I am a big fan of her Mortal Instruments series (yeah, didn’t review those either) and loved this first book in the prequel series even more. I am not too worried about this one though, Cassie Clare gets plenty of publicity without my tiny (but very important to me) little two cents blog.

6. Leviathan and Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld. The man is a genius. That’s really all I have to say on the matter.

7. The Cardturner by Louis Sachar. No magic, no vampires, no heart-pounding action, but it is still one of my favorites. I am so excited to have my book club read it this year.

8. The Drake Chronicles by Alyxandra Harvey. This is the only vampire series I still follow. I love it and think you should read it too. I know it’s awfully bossy of me, but the chances of me writing reviews for the first three books are slim.

9. Gone by Michael Grant. Here is another series that tops all of my lists. I love them. I want everyone to read them. I so fortunate to have an ARC connection and I have met and was charmed by Michael Grant. I will probably never write reviews.

10. Speaking of never going to happen…I also read, loved, and didn’t review a single Harry Potter, Twilight, and Percy Jackson book. Oh well.

It’s back to school week…where did the summer go? In honor of the new school year I have created a list of my favorite books featuring boarding schools that may not be as well-known as Hogwarts.

1. The Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter. The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is a top-secret spy school for girls.

2. The Curse of the Blue Tattoo by L.A. Meyer. Jacky Faber is sent to The Lawson Peabody School for Girls. Most of her time there is a disaster, but she does learn “The Look,” which serves her well in future adventures.

3. Gone series by Michael Grant. The Coates Academy is a private school located near Perdido Beach. This elite boarding school is were wealthy families send their troubled teens. Many of the powerful players in the FAYZ come from Coates.

4. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins. Hecate Hall (aka Hex Hall) is a boarding school for delinquent children of magical beings.

5. Looking for Alaska by John Green. This debut novel and winner of the Michael L. Prinz award takes place at the Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama.

6. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart. The title character is the mastermind behind a number of brilliant and anonymous pranks at the prestigious Alabaster Preparatory Academy.

7. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. I cannot remember the name of the American school in Paris, but that is not important. What is important is that this very awesome book takes place in a boarding school in Paris.

8. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. The Spence Academy for Young Ladies is the setting for this Victorian-era paranormal tale. This is the first book in the Gemma Doyle trilogy.

9. Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman. Two girls in search of Mr. Darcy-like boyfriends crash a dance at the town’s exclusive boy’s school.

10. Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney. This one is on my TBR list. It’s a book about date rape and how one group of students band together to address the issue.

Harry Potter is all grown up and so is Daniel Radcliffe. The young star may be done with Hogwarts and magic, but there are still more ghosts in his future. I just saw a trailer of his newest movie, The Woman in Black, posted on Facebook today and had to learn more. WARNING: This clip is seriously CREEPY!

The film is based on the novel of the same name by Susan Hill. Originally published in 1983, The Woman in Black is the story of a young lawyer who travels to Eel Marsh House, an isolated estate on an English moor, to attend the funeral and settle the estate of the owner, Mrs. Alice Drablow. What should be a matter of routine formalities turns into a terrifying nightmare as the house appears to be haunted by a vengeful ghost.

I have not read the book yet and horror movies terrify me, but I may have to see it just for Daniel Radcliffe. The movie is scheduled for release February 3, 2012. The book is scheduled to be rereleased as a movie tie-in in January of 2012.

I am not feeling very creative this week, so I am grateful for all my fellow book bloggers who are hosting fun memes. Today I discovered W.W.W Wednesday, hosted by Should Be Reading. It’s simple, really. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently reading:

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
From Goodreads.com:
How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it’s getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she’s haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they’re destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

Recently Read:

Pop by Gordon Korman

Marcus Jordan is the new kid in town. Friendless and determined to earn a spot on the high school’s champion football team, he starts practicing alone in the park. He is soon joined by Charlie, a charismatic and odd middle-aged prankster who knows a lot about football. The unusual pair quickly develop a camaraderie, but when Charlie’s behavior becomes more unpredictable, Marcus learns the surprising truth about his new friend. Charlie is Charlie Popovich the former NFL star whose brutal tackling earned him the nickname “The King of Pop” and he is suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s. Marcus is not sure how to deal with this news, but he does know that he may have to defy Charlie’s family in order to do what is best for his friend.

My coworker has raved about this book since it came out two years ago and yet it never seemed to make it to the top of my TBR pile. I started to read it Monday after work and by the time I closed my eyes to sleep that night I have finished it. Here are the things I loved about the book:
1. The head cheerleader knows as much, if not more, about football than the players
2. Adults are present and active in the lives of the teens
3. It’s funny (I must admit, I love a good prank) and sad, but also hopeful and positive
4. High-stakes football action
5. There’s something for everyone. Give this book to teens who enjoy sports, football, and stories about unlikely friendships.

If you like Pop, you may also enjoy The Cardturner by Louis Sachar and The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacquelyn Kelly

What Will I Read Next?

I haven’t decided yet. Either the new adult novel by Wendy Delsol, the author ofStork or a zombie book.